A Whole New Game: Warriors 122, Thunder 102

I’ve been accused on more than one occasion of being blindly optimistic when it comes to the Warriors. For those who aren’t in the mood for a little giddy optimism, you should probably stop reading here. Yes, the Warriors were playing the lowly Thunder in the preseason, but there were so many encouraging signs on the court for the Warriors — signs we haven’t seen on this team in a long time — that a potentially lost season just got a lot more interesting. The real test will be whether any of the youngsters have staying power, but here’s what I found so exciting:

DeMarcus Nelson – After underwhelming starting performances from Watson and Williams, Nelson used his first extended minutes at the point guard spot to make quite an impression. Following pitiful assist performances from the other two guards, Nelson’s seven assists were nice to see. He looked competent running the team but missed wide open guys on numerous occasions. It’s clear he’s still learning the duties of the point. Offensively, he didn’t force his game Saturday and benefited from good positioning and hustle on numerous occasions. Again, he looked adequate but nothing special. Where Nelson wowed me, in a way I haven’t seen on the recent Nelson teams, was his on-the-ball defense. After watching the matador efforts from Davis and Ellis on the perimeter, Nelson was a revelation. He has blindingly fast feet, stays in front of his man, knows when to go for a steal and when to play it safe, and generally wreaked havoc with whatever little offensive the Thunder could manage. By shutting down the Thunder’s point before he could initiate the offense, the rest of the team could play straight man-on-man defense. They didn’t have to scramble to cover or worry about over-committing. It was shockingly traditional for a Don Nelson team and tremendously effective. We’ll know in the next few games whether DeMarcus can keep it up, but he may have played himself not just onto the team, but the starting line-up.

Richard Hendrix – This time last weekend, Nelson was talking about Hendrix like he might not make the team. He had spent most of training camp out with a thigh bruise and also missed Summer League time with injury. His preseason debut Saturday, like Nelson’s performance, suddenly changed the landscape of the Warriors’ pending roster decisions. Looking, at times, like the second coming of Larry Smith, Hendrix immediately put his wide body to work clearing out space, snagging boards and setting picks. He came out tight, missing a series of embarrassingly easy lay ups, but had settled down by the second half and looked very smooth when dished the ball or putting it back up. What impressed me the most (besides a brutal, body-crushing pick he set in the third quarter) was his nose for the ball on the glass. He not only positions himself very well for the rebound, but appears to have great hands. No bobbles, no tips, no messing around. If the ball was within Hendrix’s wingspan, he pulled it. That’s how you manage 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. Given his age, he’s clearly at a different place physically and basketball-skill wise than Wright and Randolph. While he may not have either player’s upside or physical gifts, he’s strong, wide, and ready to contribute. I was worried Hendrix was going to be the second coming of Danny Fortson, but he looks bigger, smarter, and more capable of being a crucial role player (rather than an insufferable cancer). Again, it’s only one game, but it’s been a long time (Tyrone Hill and Larry Smith long) since the Warriors have seen a quality rebounding specialist like Hendrix.
Marco Belinelli – Closing out the trio of impressive Warriors’ youngsters was Belinelli, who finally showed the fundamentals to match the swagger he has had from day one. His shot was falling — and looked more conventional (read: facing the basket) than last year — but the real story wasn’t on the offensive end. Belinelli spent much of the night guarding Kevin Durant and not only held his own but, at times, gave him fits. By playing a bigger man (although a quick one), Marco’s less-than-lightening-fast speed was less of a disadvantage. He also seems to have a better sense of spacing the court and where he needs to be on defense. The end result was that Nelson could leave him out there for extended minutes without worrying about head-slapping mistakes. Marco used the time to settle into a rhythm and delivered an excellent offensive performance, both shooting and distributing the ball. Of all the Warriors remaining, even including Jackson, he may have the best court vision and passing senses. He doesn’t have the dribbling skill to be a full time point guard, but in limited use running the offense next to Nelson or Watson (both are better drivers in the lane), he looked very good. If Marco can be counted on for consistent performances, the Warriors already deep bench could be stretching even further. The competition for minutes can only bring good things in terms of intensity and motivation for guys to perform.

Al Harrington – To prevent this from turning into a binge of kool aid, it’s worth noting that it didn’t take long for the “Al Harrington has been a revelation” training camp story to fall apart. As expected, once Rob Kurz and Brandan Wright were replaced with real NBA power forwards, Al looked less than impressive in the post. He missed a ton of easy lay ups, made bad choices, and generally looked over-matched. When he stepped outside — into the area he played last year — he looked more comfortable. The question remains, however, whether the Warriors want to give significant minutes to a perimeter only power forward when they have Wright, Randolph, Turiaf and potentially Hendrix all more capable of playing closer to the basket. Any Harrington fans out there should enjoy his performances with the Warriors now. Like Troy Murphy to start the 06-07 season, Al looks like a quality player simply out of place in a new system with new talent around him.
Anthony Randolph – The two sides of Randolph’s confidence are becoming easy to see. On the good side, he’s fearless and willing to challenge anyone on the court. He has a lightening quick first step that allows him to embarrass slower defenders when he faces the basket. His size also makes him a constant threat slashing to the basket for put-backs. When it comes to handling the ball, however, Randolph’s confidence leads him into plenty of dead ends, resulting in turnovers. He hasn’t even played a real NBA game yet, so it’s far too early to criticize. The best thing he can do in these games, however, is learn his current limitations given the improved quality of competition over the college and summer league games. He can still be a contributor this year, but he needs to know his place within the team.

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Brandan Wright – As with Randolph, my impression of Wright was a mixed bag. He looks much more decisive on offense. When he catches the ball he knows what to do with it — gone is the awkward pause he demonstrated last year when he attempted to make a move. Unfortunately, Wright’s only consistent offensive move at the moment is his jump hook. To put it down, he needs to be able to get into the lane. Against stronger defenders or a well coached team, that will be hard for him to do. He has put down his jumper before, but it wasn’t falling tonight. He also was getting pushed around on the defensive end, as was the case last year, resulting in quite a few fouls were he was forced to reach to compensate. It’s clear that the Warriors (and fans) need to be patient with Wright. He obviously has the potential to be a special player, but his NBA performance may be limited until he grows a bit more into his still very skinny body.

Ronny Turiaf – My first suggestion for Brandan would be to become weight room buddies with Ronny. Whatever Turiaf has been doing, it’s allowing him to become the bulky muscle-bound presence the Warriors’ have long lacked. It’s obvious even this early in the season, however, that he’s much more than just a banger. He showed off his nice mid-range touch again Saturday, had a few excellent passes, and seems to understand where he needs to be in Nelson’s offensive and defensive systems. I have to admit that I rubbed my eyes in the first quarter and pinched myself after Ronny caught the ball on the block, made a quick post move and knocked down the shot. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a Warrior look so comfortable — or so effective — beneath the basket. I know Nelson keeps repeating that he is going to use Ronny as a backup center, but I’m increasingly of the belief that Ronny will be too good to deny minutes at the power forward spot, even if it bucks the “traditional” Nelson model of a jump shooting big forward. It’ll be hard to justify playing either Turiaf or Biedrins less than the 24 minutes a night they’d average if they split time at the 5 evenly.
Marcus Williams – Just behind Harrington in the “dose of reality” category is Williams. His performance on Saturday wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly good. He showed questionable judgment on a few passes, didn’t create much on defense, and generally went along without doing much of anything. He’s a serviceable back-up at the moment, capable of getting the ball up the court and running an offense, but I’m not convinced he can give much more right now. He’ll have opportunities to prove me wrong as the preseason continues, but after Nelson’s performance he looks to be the third option in the point guard depth chart.

C.J. Watson – Watson only logged limited and largely meaningless minutes Saturday, but once again showed the aggressiveness Nelson loves. He doesn’t have the court sense of a point guard, but makes up for it in his slashing and scoring ability. He continues to be a poor man’s Monta Ellis, which is the best the Warriors can hope for until the real thing returns. I like him much more off the bench as a spark plug than in the starting slot, but he should see quality minutes regardless in Nelson’s rotation. As last year, Watson might not be the best player on the court, but he rarely makes costly mistakes.
Stephen Jackson – Jackson barely broke a sweat against the Thunder, sitting out the entire second half. During his limited run, he showed the same traits we’ve all grown to love (and occasionally loathe). He moved the ball well, played some intense defense, but also failed to close out a few lay ups with any sort of intensity and seemed all too happy to pull up for the early three. Keeping Jackson with the program will likely be a season-long struggle. Still, when Jackson was on the bench, it was clear what a good leader he could be for this team. He was cheering the successes of the youngsters, handing out quick coaching tutorials on the side, and generally staying engaged in a meaningless game when he could have easily checked out mentally. We know what we’re going to get from Jax — and I still think it’s a net positive.

Rob Kurz – With a strong performance from Hendrix, Kurz’s days on the squad may be numbered. During his limited garbage time action, however, Kurz lived up to Nelson’s billing. He’s a good rebounder, looks to have a nice touch on offense, and makes heady basketball plays. There may not be a place for him on the Warriors, but he looks to have the skills to make it in the League. Other than Dan Dickau, he seems to be the most likely to be on the outside looking in when the seasons starts.

Anthony Morrow – The last man off Nelson’s bench, Morrow’s lack of meaningful minutes might suggest that he’s slipping in Nelson’s depth chart. Should the coach decide to carry both Hendrix and Kurz on the roster, Morrow could find himself cut. With a shortage of (good) three point shooters, however, Morrow still seems to have an inside track on a roster spot. With both Nelson and Hendrix turning in impressive preseason performances, the pressure is now on him to show the hot shooting we saw this summer.

While it’s easy to blow out of proportion the Warriors’ preseason win over a tired Thunder team, it’s worth noting that the Warriors dominated them with two starters (Biedrins and Maggette) and their likely sixth man (Azubuike) on the bench the entire night. The Warriors pushed their end-of-the-bench players into prominent positions. The fringe players then delivered. Given all the times last year when Nelson went to his bench to provide a spark and came up empty, these early signs of life can only be a good sign. If these preseason games continue with the Warriors fielding a variety of big men, passing the ball in unselfish team play and actually coming up with honest defensive stops, we may be looking at a whole new brand of Nellie-ball.

Adam Lauridsen

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Given that the Warriors are not playing for a championship, they need to keep the players with the most long term potential. Nothing against Dickau as it is hard not to like him but the team knows what he brings and his talent level is not improving at age 30. Keep Nelson and Hendrix (even Kurz) until they are game tested and their true talent level is determined. A journeyman/veteran role player/scrub like Dickau can always be picked up off the scrap heap in-season if their 5.3 PPG, 2.6 APG, and “indispensable veteran leadership” become desparately needed.

In terms of Nellie, he may leave the Warriors after the season but he is not leaving coaching until he is the all-time leader in wins. This is a man with a huge ego, no rings, and the need to stand among his peers after his tenth scotch saying, “I remember the game when I became the all-time leader in wins like it was yesterday . . .”.

auggie

Yeah, and I suspect, the Don is once against fooling the league. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, is expecting that Nelson is going to unleash his patented Small-Ball strategy. But I have observed that his roster is full of wide bodies and bruisers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nelson abandons his small-ball gimmick, and comes up with a new one, basing it on the strengths and weaknesses of his current roster.

sorry, adam, your fantasy of a whole new brand of “nellie ball” is just that, a fantasy. Turiaf and Biedrins will not play together. Don Nelson would rather drink water and smoke clove cigars.

Valr

I’m rooting for DeMarcus Nelson to make the team. This will give Nellie the option to field a very strong defensive team for the first time here at Golden State. How’s this to start?

DeMarcus
SJax
Kelenna
Turiaf
Andris

I think that combination may be able to hold it’s own on both sides of the court.
On offense:
2 penetrators (DeMarcus, Kelenna), 2 long bombers( SJax, Kelenna), 2 tough inside defenders(Ronny, Andris), 3 very active rebounders (Andris, Turiaf, Kelenna), multiple passers/playmakers (SJax, DeMarcus, Kelenna, even Turiaf).
On defense:
They’re all solid man to man defenders (when have we ever said that around here?)

Deano

Who’s getting up at 5:00 am tomorrow to watch the Warriors play the Bucks in China? TIVO don’t count.

slimman

What network is it on? ESPN? I am not going to be able to see but would love to DVR it.

The Oracle

Son,
Good post, but AH is what Nelson wants, a PF with some height that can run and shoot the 3, but tall enough to defend somewhat the other teams PF and somewhat rebound.

If he wanted a traditional PF, a low post player that can board and score in the post, and defend other team’s PF, he would be going in a different direction. AR and BW are NOT those POWER forward types either. They are taller, but much skinnier and perhaps weaker. I don’t think either BW or AR have shown they are better for us at PF in this system.

Hendrix and Turiaf are more traditional bruiser PF’s, but both of their offensive games are limited, especially their outside shooting and 3 pt shooting. They both don’t run as well. They both don’t handle as well. That is of course the trade off of bigger stronger bodies. They normally don’t run, handle or shoot outside like the leaner and shorter players.

DN has never wanted or played a traditional low post PF. AH is the type of player he wants, and has always played, although of course he would like to see him board better.

If your offense is based on running and spreading shooters around the 3 pt line (and then driving to the basket if the defense overcommitts to stopping the 3), then AH is the only PF on our team right now that can do that job.

I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. But it is the way DN wants to play and I’m not going to argue with it. If you’re going to allow DN to run his system, his way, then AH is far and away the best option on the W roster right now.

SJ Jim

I couldn’t find anything about a broadcast on the Warriors site, but I just checked the Comcast site (TV Planner page) and found the following (I’m just reporting… I can’t vouch for the correctness of any of this):

Oracle,
Bottom line is Al needs to be a consistent contributor. Last season it seemed he brought it in only one of three games. That’s not acceptable for a starter. Doesn’t matter who’s vision of a power forward he is fulfilling. If he’s not making an impact he doesn’t deserve starter minutes.

Nothing we’re seeing this preseason convinces me he’ll be better this season. But as CC says, it’s only preseason.

Efren

Was it Brandan Wright or Kurz playing center? It’s only the preseason but ….already ….with shades of….I don’t know.

wfan1

The Buckles played their starters heavy mins in pre-season game? WTF. Belli is a streaky shooter so we will see ON and OFF games til he gets comfortable as starter or rotation player.

AR is pressing big time.

Shawn_Solo

>>it’s been a long time (Tyrone Hill and Larry Smith long) since the Warriors have seen a quality rebounding specialist like Hendrix.

Ooooh, that was a dis on Troy Murphy! And a well-deserved one!

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